: a model or pattern for something that may be copied.The Merriam-Webster dictionary offers the following: In a column at The Globe and Mail, Robert Fulford describes paradigm as "a crossover hit: It moved nimbly from science to culture to sports to business."īut what, exactly, is a paradigm shift? Or, for that matter, a paradigm? Talk of paradigms and paradigm shifts has since become commonplace - not only in science, but also in business, social movements and beyond. He suggested that scientific revolutions are not a matter of incremental advance they involve "paradigm shifts." Inspired, in part, by the theories of psychologist Jean Piaget, who saw children's development as a series of discrete stages marked by periods of transition, Kuhn posited two kinds of scientific change: incremental developments in the course of what he called "normal science," and scientific revolutions that punctuate these more stable periods. ![]() One measure of his influence is the widespread use of the term "paradigm shift," which he introduced in articulating his views about how science changes over time. But his influence extended well beyond the academy: The book was widely read - and seeped into popular culture. Kuhn's 1962 book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, transformed the philosophy of science and changed the way many scientists think about their work. He went on to become an important and broad-ranging thinker, and one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century. Kuhn’s vision is more relevant than ever today and sets scientists a fascinating task: to build clear criteria to assess if new knowledge increases or decreases the collective wealth accumulated in the historical memory of scientific practice.Thomas Kuhn, the well-known physicist, philosopher and historian of science, was born 94 years ago today. The classic notions of improvement and development can therefore only be managed in particular fields. In this way Kuhn presents a vision of scientific progress that must always be correlated with an actual situation and whose validity is limited to a well-defined methodology. Subsequently, Kuhn defined the paradigm also like a “ disciplinary matrix”, made up of four sections: symbolic generalizations, metaphysical presumptions, value judgments of theories, and puzzle solvers used as models or examples. It is rather as if the professional community had been suddenly transported to another planet where familiar objects are seen in a different light and are joined by unfamiliar ones as well”. Even more important, during revolutions scientists see new and different things when looking with familiar instruments in places they have looked before. Led by a new paradigm, scientists adopt new instruments and look in new places. “ When paradigms change, the world itself changes with them. Everything, therefore, has to be rethought: basic concepts, methods and problems. Scientists, when faced with multiple problems that they cannot solve by applying a certain paradigm, question the principles followed and accepted up until that time as “dogmas” and go on the search for a new paradigm. Revolutionary breakdown, namely the time when there is a true and proper turning point that leads to the abandonment of the old paradigm and the arrival of a new way of looking at the world. ![]() However, these actions, repeated over time, cause the old system to weaken from the inside, producing a true and proper crisis. new and unexpected events, which scientists then attempt to adapt with varying degrees of success within “the prefabricated and relatively rigid boxes” provided by the existing paradigm. Kuhn believes that normal science enters a crisis due to a series of “anomalies”, i.e. Normal science, namely a phase in which scientists appear committed to consolidating, confirming and developing existing paradigms by solving contradictions and “puzzles” as they arise. The scientific community is made up of scientists who, possessing the same paradigm, share the same ethical vision, assessment criteria, interpretative models, methods and solutions for solving problems and who believe their successors ought to be educated on the basis of these same contents and values. Paradigm, namely a set of universally recognized principles, methodological processes and cultural concepts that refers to the work of the “scientific community” of a certain era. In his most famous work “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” (19), the philosopher Thomans Kuhn analyzes the history of science and its various implications in all areas of research.Īccording to Kuhn’s vision, scientific development is made up of three main components:
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